


Aftershocks

by littlesolo



Category: Rookie Blue
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 13:24:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6007915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various Gail and Holly moments following the shooting</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

After a while, it became clear to Steve that the wait for news on Sam would be a while. He looked over to where his sister sat with Holly. He felt a smirk creep on to his face, only to have his thoughts briefly interrupted by a nudge and a questioning glance from Traci. He tilted his head towards the pair and watched Traci follow his gaze.

Gail had slumped almost all her weight onto Holly's side in exhaustion, but Holly didn't seem to mind as she absently drew patterns on Gail's thigh through their clasped fingers.

Any of his usual big brother protectiveness had left him when had seen Gail not only draw Holly into a hug, but when he saw her pull the other woman closer and hug her tighter.

Steve had a feeling that how close the two were may have come as a shock to Diaz, but he had gotten a feeling earlier in the station that he and Chris were keeping Gail from something. He knew his sister would have sent anyone else off with her usual cutting remark and he had also seen the look on her face as she and Chris left that said she was kicking herself for how she'd left things. He understood though. Gail had been a mess, feeling guilty about being the last to see Oliver. Although when Oliver dropped her at the station there was no way of knowing that he was going to be abducted, it didn't stop Gail from feeling like there should have been something she could have done. Especially with thoughts of her own abduction probably wandering through and making her worry even more about Oliver's safety.

Steve was brought out of his thoughts at the sound of Traci taking a picture of the pair.

She'll want it later."

He nodded. He trusted Traci's judgement when it came to his sister. He made his way over to Holly unnoticed, the woman completely absorbed in her thoughts. He gently shook her shoulder, doing his very best to keep from startling her. Holly blinked her way free from her thoughts and turned towards him.

"It looks like we might be waiting on word about Sam for a while. After working a double shift and worrying about Oliver, Gail would probably do better with a good rest in a bed instead of these remarkably unforgiving hospital chairs. If you could take her home?"

"Sure, of course" Holly nodded. Steve gently shook Gail's shoulder so that Holly could actually get up. "What? How's Sam?" asked Gail blearily, as she rubbed her eyes.

"We don't know yet. We'll call you as soon as we know something. Oliver is fine though. For now, Holly's going to take you home so that you don't drool all over her coat while you sleep" assured Steve. Gail quickly wiped her hand under her mouth and realizing she hadn't drooled at all, shot her brother a death glare while Holly chuckled next to her.

"C'mon" said Holly as she helped pull Gail up with their still joined hands. Steve and Traci took their vacated seats and they watched Gail and Holly make their way to the exit.


	2. Chapter 2

Now that she was awake, Gail had too many thoughts going through her head. She didn't even notice where she was going until she sat down on the couch in Holly's apartment.

"How did I get here?"

"You're surprisingly compliant when you're zombie-like. I figured you could use down time away from your roommates" answered Holly as she walked over with two glasses. Gail took a sip before raising an eyebrow at Holly.

"Milk? Really?"

"Chocolate milk. Figured it would help us relax after today. Thank you, for being careful today." Gail snorted, forgetting for a moment that she was drinking, and managed to get some of the milk up her nose

"That was the plan." Gail sighed and tilted her head back on the couch. "You heard about me going undercover right?" Holly nodded as she got comfortable next to her. "There were parts of today that reminded me of that. Like, everything went the way it was supposed to. And, yes, there was a point where we might've been in danger, but that turned out okay." Even though she was tired and rambling, Gail didn't miss the way Holly tensed briefly. "It was fine. We got a call with no one on the other end. We were supposed to wait for back up, but Oliver and I decided to back each other up and go in. It turned out to be a brave eleven year old deaf girl who called after her grandfather had a heart attack. It was scary going in, not knowing what was there, but probably not nearly as scary as it was for Danielle, who didn't even know if help was coming. She was still holding the phone when we got there."

"Danielle?"

"Hmm?"

"You said the girl was deaf, so how..." asked Holly.

"Oh, she signed it. I can sign too."

Holly was stunned. Learning that Gail could sign was certainly unexpected.

"How many languages can you speak?"

"Um, including ASL, French, Italian, and Spanish." Holly continued to be amazed by Gail Peck.

"Anyway, it's just that. Like, even though it had it's dangerous moment, the real danger came only after we thought we were done and safe."

The two of them sat and got lost in their thoughts for a while.

"Hey, I'm sorry. For back at the station. I just had my head focused on Oliver, and my brother was there being all..." Gail made motions in the air with her free hand, trying to find the words. When she glanced at Holly, she was met with an amused smirk and a shrug.

"Big brotherly! He was telling me to be careful or Mom would kill him. Whatever. Anyway, bringing up Mom in any context tends to throw me off. And then-."

"And then there I was, adding to all the stress." Holly sighed while Gail merely waved her off again.

"Yeah, well I could have done something better than impersonate the dramatic chipmunk." Holly couldn't help but laugh at the imagery that created in her mind. Seeing that Gail was starting to drift again, she took her glass and led her to the guest room. Holly gave Gail a large shirt and pair of shorts to use as sleep clothes. Holly came back to check on Gail after changing into her own sleepwear, to find her sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Need me to tuck you in?" asked Holly, jokingly.

"Maybe. I feel too tired to move" replied Gail as she slid under the covers. Holly was just about to call out goodnight when she heard Gail speak again.

"Were you at the station?"

"No. I was at the lab. This time though, I had seen you leave so I knew it wasn't you that had been shot. So that kept me from freaking out completely." Gail felt the mattress dip as Holly sat next to her. She reached out and entwined her fingers with Holly's and brought their hands in front of her.

"I was still worried about what you all might be walking into, though."

"I was scared you might have been" mumbled Gail as she drifted off. Holly smiled, leaned over, and placed a kiss on Gail's forehead. As she started to get up though, Gail grumbled and seemed unwilling to let go of her hand. As she crawled in, Gail hugged her arm around closer to her chest. Being Gail's cuddle buddy was certainly something that Holly didn't mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Gail and Holly were woken up by the sound of Gail's phone ringing. The persistent ringing had Holly burrowing further into Gail's neck and shoulder, unfortunately this left Gail with nowhere to retreat to. With a groan, Gail reached for a pillow and covered her head, and then reluctantly grabbed her phone.

"Hello? Hey Traci. Okay, okay, okay, cool. I'll see you at the station." She groaned again as she set her phone back on the night stand. She'd gotten a few hours sleep, but it felt like best sleep she'd had in a while. Part of it had to do with the fact that she wasn't in her own apartment at the moment. Gail had gotten used to Chloe as a roommate and the absence of her and Dov would have made this morning hard. Another part of it though was the fact that here with Holly, she was comfy. Content. There wasn't any of the morning awkwardness that Gail had expected. Normally, Gail would be itching to grab her clothes and run. Right now though, Holly had slipped back into a doze, her breath tickling her neck as she slept. If wasn't for the fact that she had to be at work in an hour, Gail wouldn't move. She kissed the top of Holly's head.

"Hey. As much as I'd love to stay put, I gotta be at work in an hour. So, I was thinking maybe we swing by my place for some clothes and food and then you could drop me at the station?" Holly moaned and burrowed further under the covers. Gail smirked and threw off the covers.

" _Gail!_ You're letting all the cold air in!"

Gail laughed as she made her way to the bathroom. She could hear Holly grumbling as she went to her bathroom.

Twenty minutes later found them in Gail's apartment. Gail ran for her room to get changed yelling at Holly to help herself to yogurt and fruit in the fridge or cereal. Holly was half through her yogurt when Chris made his way out to the kitchen.

"Oh, hey! So you and Gail are a couple. That's cool. She seems... happier." Holly wasn't sure what to say to that, so she ate another spoonful of yogurt. She could tell from his smile that he was sincere and really cared about Gail, so she took it as big brother like approval.

"I'll warn you though, there's only one way this relationship will last" continued Chris as he made coffee. Holly quirked an eyebrow at him and neither of them noticed Gail coming down the hall holding her shoes. "It will depend on what happens if you ever manage to beat one of Gail's high scores in video games."

"I am not that bad!" commented Gail, making the other two turn towards her.

"Oh yeah, except for the time Dov lost and you made him say 'Gail is awesome' all day" stated Chris with a grin as he poured his coffee into a thermos.

"Well, I'd have to agree with that statement" added Holly, bringing a smile to Gail's face. With that Gail grabbed a yogurt and they took off.


	4. Chapter 4

Once she had arrived at the station, reality began to creep up on Gail again. Everyone was going about like normal except there was this atmosphere about them that said they were all still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Last she'd heard, Sam was stable and nothing had changed with Chloe. That information was helping Gail keep her demons at bay but if she stayed here, she'd have Perick's voice in her head again and would be driving Celery crazy by calling to make sure Oliver was still okay. Oliver. Before parade could start, Gail made her way to Frank's office.

"Hey, is it okay if I take the day?"

"Is something wrong Peck?"

"No. I just- I just thought that I could go and talk to Oliver. It might help him to talk to someone who can sort of...relate." Frank leaned back in his chair and gave Peck a long look.

"Go."

* * *

Gail texted Holly from Oliver's driveway.

**::I took the day. I'm at Oliver's. You up for getting a bite later?::**

Tucking her phone in her pocket, she made her way to the door. Celery let her in and excused herself to go get them all some sandwiches for lunch. Gail found Oliver in the living room in a Lazyboy and made her way over to the sofa.

"Frank send you over to check up on me?" asked Oliver as he muted the hockey game.

"Nah. I thought we should start a club. Abductees Anonymous."

"As long as we get jackets. Oh, and hats! We need exclusive members baseball caps!" The two chuckled before falling back into a comfortable silence.

"So does it hit you all at once? I mean that's how it worked when I was shot" commented Oliver.

"For me it hit later. All I know is that my folks had me going to shrinks. Then, Mom thought having me shadow her would help. Thankfully, I convinced her I was okay to work by then" replied Gail ruefully.

"Do you still hear Perick in your head? I mean at first I thought it was the concussion, but sometimes I still hear Ford saying we framed him. It's not like I can tell Celery I hear a dead guy's voice in my head." Gail shifted in her seat, settling in, before answering.

"Sometimes. Mostly when things go really bad. Like while you were missing." Oliver tried to meet her gaze at that but Gail kept her eyes on her clasped hands.

"Hey kid, there is no way you could have known his level of crazy. Also, the last thing I want for you is any kind of deja vu experience, alright?" Gail looked up at Oliver and gave him a weak smile.

"Well, the reason I came over was because I care about you and I'm no shrink, but I'm here if you wanna talk."

Oliver let a wide smile creep on to his face. "Aw, that's sweet of you Gail! I'm touched to be one of the chosen few!"

"Shut up!" At this point, Celery came back with food and Oliver spent the rest of the afternoon arguing with Gail over the hockey game.

* * *

Gail hit the apartment and picked up a fresh change of clothes for Dov. Since she was also pretty sure he hadn't showered, she grabbed the febreeze car freshener off the a/c vent as she got out at the hospital. After two days, Gail had a feeling it would take more than just deodorant to make Dov smell human. Holly was going to meet her and they were going to get some dinner while Chris took her car back. She dropped off the stuff with Dov, suggesting that he place the febreeze next to where ever he was sitting, feeling a bit concerned when he didn't even crack a grin. Chris said he'd look after him though.

Gail found Holly waiting for her in the floor's lobby. While they were discussing where they might get food from, Holly got a call on her cell regarding a case. Gail was wandering a bit while Holly was on the phone when she spotted a familiar face in one of the patient rooms. She entered the room and waved. Danielle looked up, smiled, and waved back.

"Are you here by yourself?" asked Gail as she signed. Danielle shook her head and signed back.

" _No. My mom went to go get something for us to eat. I only stay with Grandpa after school. The doctor says he's going to be okay._ "

"You know that's thanks to you, right? You did everything right. Everything you were supposed to." Danielle looked over towards her Grandpa, a bit unsure. Gail turned at a soft knock at the door to see Holly standing there. She turned back towards Danielle. "My friend here? She's a doctor. I bet she'd tell you the same thing."

" _But I couldn't say anything! I didn't know if they were sending anyone or if they knew where to go._ " Gail had a feeling the girl wouldn't have been this worked up if she hadn't been staying at her Grandpa's bedside in the hospital, the machines and doctors making it seem like she had failed. But there wasn't anything Gail could do about that so she did her best to reassure her.

"That's part of what the Police does, so don't worry. Just remember that you were very brave. Some people get so scared, they forget what they're supposed to do, but you didn't." At that point, Danielle's mother returned and after Gail introduced herself, was thanked by the mother, and said goodbye, she and Holly were on their way again. She saw the mother pull Danielle onto her lap and hug her as the elevator doors closed.

"Well, that was unexpected" commented Holly as they made their way to her car.

"Why? I told you I could sign."

"Oh no, I remembered that. I guess I just meant you going to such lengths to reassure her. Not that you shouldn't have, just that I don't know if I would have been able to find the words to". Gail snorted.

"Luckily, she's only eleven. Otherwise she might have noticed me repeating myself and mucking it up." Holly nudged Gail with her shoulder.

"She knew what you were trying to say. And by the way she was smiling at the end, it meant a lot to her." Gail shot Holly a shy smile as they got in the car and they resumed trying to decide where to eat.


	5. Chapter 5

They had decided on Chinese and gone back to Gail's apartment. Currently, they were sitting on the couch flipping through channels. Chris had come home while the two were playing LEGO Batman on the Wii. The past few days ruled out playing anything violent, so a game with super heroes and infinite lives seemed the best bet. Chris couldn't help but grin as he watched the two play while he made and ate a quick sandwich before bed.

"You suck as Robin, Holly."

Excuse me? How many times have you fallen off that beam trying to walk across?"

"That's just because the camera angles are stupid!"

"Watch as I magnetically walk my way across as you fall...again."

"Damn it. It's just like you to take the nerd way out, by the way."

He managed to chuckle softly enough to keep Gail from hearing and break the spell about the two.  
Now the two were watching The Walking Dead. They had started out watching something called Pretty Little Liars, but Holly had trouble containing her laughter at Gail's commentary.

"Right. Cause if I was being stalked, I'd go investigate something creepy alone. Where the fuck is she going? Oh and her designer dress certainly says subtle and covert. Have these girls never seen a horror movie? _BUY SOME MACE! BUY A TASER! BUY COMMON SENSE!_ "

They had switched to The Walking Dead in an effort to keep from waking Chris. "Rick was totally about to sing just then wasn't he?  
' _They'd leave us alone, If we gave them Michonne_  
 _what I did was wrong, and I'll explain it in song...'_ Jesus Christ Rick, your dead wife is getting to you. As if that wasn't already clear by putting a man who sees hallucinations on look out patrol". It didn't surprise Holly in the slightest that zombies had a soothing effect on Gail.

It was around eleven when they finally turned in, Gail giving Holly a pair of old Police sweats to use. The two curled around each other and were asleep in minutes. Holly was brought out of her sleep a while later by a forceful shove. Gail was edging herself backwards and was going to fall off the bed in the midst of her nightmare.

Holly quickly tucked one hand under Gail's head and began soothingly rubbing her cheek with her thumb while her other hand grabbed her waist to keep her from falling. After shaking her side and calling her name a few times Gail startled awake. Holly didn't move as Gail seemed to take in her surroundings, letting her do things at her own pace.

Gail had mentioned Ross Perick and Holly knew of the case but only the basics. She knew that he had kidnapped an officer after an undercover operation to find the serial killer, and that a detective had been killed in the rescue of the officer. She also knew that the officer had been Gail. Holly remembered working the case as well as testifying at the trial. The defense attorney had said she worked very diligently on the case and asked if there was any special reason she worked so hard on this one. Perhaps to make up for any loose ends or sloppy police work? She had replied that she worked diligently on all her cases to ensure the correct person is caught and to prevent that person from hurting anyone else.

The defense attorney had given her a smarmy look then before saying, "So the fact that an officer was kidnapped and detective was killed wasn't weighing on your mind as you processed the evidence?"

"No. I deal with evidence, and so far the evidence suggested that we were dealing with a serial killer. If anything, that made me look at it all under closer scrutiny, to be sure we were following the same person."

Had Holly known Gail at the time, she might have said something that would have either gotten her or put the case in trouble. Sure, she could look up the case, but she'd rather hear it from Gail when she's ready.

Holly was brought out of her thoughts when Gail launched herself at her, burying her face in her shoulder and hugging her. Rolling onto her back and bringing Gail with her, Holly stroked one hand through Gail's long hair and one on her back in soothing motions as Gail silently sobbed. Holly simply hung on while Gail shook with the force of her sobs. It occurred to Holly that after the past few days and talking to Oliver, Gail's demons had probably found an opening in all her exhaustion. Gail was clinging onto Holly for dear life, almost as if she were a life raft.

It was odd, thought Holly, that the person who could use a gun and had self defense training should look to her for comfort. If she was be honest with herself, she was very grateful that she didn't need to say anything because she had no idea what it would be. Forensics were her thing, the aftermath. She couldn't begin to imagine the types of things Gail had seen and lived through. But as she continued to stroke Gail's hair it occurred to her that maybe Gail didn't need words, maybe what she needed was just someone to be there to help her weather through it. Holly would gladly be a life raft for Gail in whatever way she needed whether it involved hugs or just long quiet drives to nowhere. She knew Gail might try to act as if this had never happened later, but that was more about not acknowledging the demons than it was their relationship- whatever kind it was.

She vaguely registered that Gail had stopped crying and was now asleep because the sound of Gail's breathing was lulling her asleep as well. As she drifted off, she felt Gail snuggle closer and mumble "Nerd" and couldn't help but smile.


	6. Chapter 6

Gail was ready for the day to be over. She had been working on a stake out with Traci, Steve, and Nick involving car jackings in connection with a chop shop ring. It had ended with Gail having to run nine blocks after a suspect.

Granted, she'd probably run too if the trunk the cops had just opened had a body in it, but she would have given in after the first four blocks.

But no.

This idiot had to chuck the tire jack he was using at her shins which not only left one leg with a nice bruise forming from where it made a solid hit, but also caused her to get her legs tangled around it and fall face first into whatever lovely substances were coating the garage's floor. Then he just had to add insult to injury by making her chase after him across two lanes of traffic, through a corner drugstore, and ending with her tackling him as he ran through a junk yard.

All on her leg that he had injured. He was lucky Gail didn't smash his face in, but Nick guessed he was even luckier when he showed up minutes later and asked if she got him. She shoved the suspect at Nick and limped her way over to the car. She pulled up her jeans to look at her shin.

Yup, that was going to be one hell of a bruise. On the plus side, she wasn't in uniform so that didn't have to be cleaned. On the down side, Gail now had all this black crap all over her own clothes. Oh well, it was Steve's jacket anyway. She'd borrowed it since it had been warmer and he always had a few in his trunk anyway.

"Nice one Gail! How far did he make you go?" asked Traci.

"Nine freaking blocks" muttered Gail, as she waited for the morgue techs to load the body so she could follow to the lab. Steve was letting her take the evidence as well since she had to wait around anyway.

Steve returned to give her the all clear before doing a double take. "Is that my jacket?"

"Yup. Mine wasn't heavy enough."

"You got crap all over it!"

"No the asshole who threw tools at me did!"

"Actually, Gail" interjected Traci, "your leg is bleeding."

Of course it was.

"Don't worry Trace, she'll have it checked by a doctor" assured Steve with a smirk.

"Shut up! And get your jacket dry cleaned!" replied Gail as she tossed it at her brother and took off towards her car.

* * *

Gail made it to Holly's lab still limping. Holly looked up and smiled at her as Gail made her way over.

"Just a minute, let me finish where I am in my notes..." Gail waved her off and sank into a nearby chair. She let her head rest on the metal desk in front of her, taking comfort in the cool surface. She heard Holly walk over to her and could feel her watching her.

"Now that I'm comfy, you can just skip telling me that something gross was sitting here twenty minutes ago." Then she leaned back and closed her eyes, groaning. "And now that I thought that, I can't get it out of my head. It doesn't mean I want to know though!"

Holly just chuckled before she noticed the blood stain on Gail's jeans.

"What happened there?"

"An asshole" grumbled Gail. Holly found Gail's frown adorable and kissed her forehead.

"So, should I assume the same asshole is responsible for the black smudges on your face too?"

"The what? You know what I don't care. I give up" growled Gail with a pout.

"You go ahead and do that while I look at your leg, alright?" Holly left and returned with a first aid kit. Holly gently rolled up Gail's jeans out of the way to expose the gash and large bruised area. Thankfully, she sat to the side, since Gail would have kicked her when she started cleaning the wound.

" _OW!_ You know what you're doing right? I mean even though you work on dead people, you did have to go to med school, right?"

"Are you kidding? You're lucky I have a first aid kit here! The dead don't tend to bleed, you know." Holly smirked as she finished applying the bandage, feeling the full force of Gail's glare aimed at her. She rose and made her way over to the boxes of evidence that Gail had accompanied.

"So, with the body and even if I pass off some of this to my assistants, I might be a while. Would you still be up to dinner if it was pushed back a bit?" Gail made a show of rolling her eyes but threw Holly a smile.

"Sure. I have a bunch of paper work to do for Steve and Traci and then there's the usual paper work besides. If you're lucky I might even shower and change into fresh clothes."

"I think if I was _really_ lucky, you wouldn't need the clothes". Gail laughed as Holly smirked at her.

I thought that was Boy Scouts, with the 'always be prepared' thing."

"It is. Us scientists just see it as being logical" replied Holly with a shrug. The two had been so wrapped up in each other, they hadn't heard McNally approach but guessing by the stunned look on her face, Gail could guess how much she heard. Determined to keep her now good mood, Gail decided to ignore the awkwardness and instead of her usual cold manner, just be nice with Andy for a change.

"Hey, Andy. What's up?" Andy seemed to have trouble thinking.

"I thought you were straight" blurted Andy, but for her part she did look embarrassed for having done so.

_So much for that plan thought Gail_. "I'm still Gail Peck. That's Holly. And we're...dating?" Gail took a moment to shoot Holly a questioning look.

"Dinners and movies constitutes dating".

"Yeah, but they're more like dinner and really _bad_ movies."

"That part is intentional though. That's why they're fun!"

Andy watched this whole interaction happen in front of her but didn't know what to make of it. She'd never seen Gail this happy or smile so much.

"No, no! That's fine! Just...a shock, you know? But whatever, I'm glad you're happy."

"Hey Peck! You can't hide out here all day" called Traci as she made her way into the lab. "Hey Holly! Oh! We should do that whole karaoke night thing again soon." Andy slowly turned towards Traci and watched as she and Holly plotted what songs they could get Gail to sing while Gail turned red and buried her face in her hands. Somehow, this had turned into the Twilight Zone.

"Oh, don't worry about it Gail. We'll get you some tequila and you'll be fine. Now let's get back. I'm not filling all those forms out by myself" commented Traci as she hauled a groaning Gail behind her. Gail managed to shoot Holly a smile before they were out the doors. But it was the smile that threw Andy for the biggest loop yet. It was a genuine smile. Not a can't-wait-to-hangout-later smile, or even a thinking- sexy-thoughts-of-you-smile, but one that said that Gail was just looking forward to whatever with Holly. Andy was brought out of thoughts and unintentional staring, by Holy.

"What can I help you with Officer McNally?"

"Uh, Luke just wanted to know if you knew anything yet on the case he's working" stuttered Andy, gaining her footing again with the focus being work.

"No more than I did two hours ago when he called. There wasn't a very good chance of getting any DNA in the first place since the fabric was so degraded, I'm sorry."

"Okay. Well, thanks." Andy turned to leave. Luke wasn't going to be happy and this case was already getting under his skin-

"Officer McNally?"

"Uh, yeah?" Andy turned and walked back a bit uncertainly. She knew she'd seen Holly before somewhere- she just couldn't place her.

"You've known Gail for longer than I have, and I'm sure you know how hard it is for her to open up-"

The hospital! After the drain cleaner, you picked Gail up!" Andy felt a little better having placed her but that was trumped by the awkwardness she'd just added. Holly raised an eyebrow and leaned back a bit on her stool.

"Yeah. Look I don't know what went on between you two-"

"I kinda started dating her ex boyfriend after we fell in love while we were undercover" blurted Andy. God, she'd give anything for some duct tape to seal her mouth with right about now.

"Oh-kay. Um. How about you just let me say my bit without interrupting again and then this whole little moment can be over?" Andy nodded frantically in agreement.

"I know Gail is trying to move past whatever happened between you two and any others involved and at the same time trying to figure out what it is we have between us. And that was all going around in her head for a while before Ford and his revenge plot. I guess what I asking is for you to take it easy on her. I figure you wouldn't attack her on purpose, but the only people who know about us are Chris, Steve, and Traci. Unless she brings it up, don't push her. I want her to move at a pace she's comfortable with." Andy nodded again. Holly held her gaze for another minute before going back to work.

As Andy left, she couldn't help but think that Holly was a good match for Gail if she had her smiling and was looking out for her. Also, maybe she would get her friend back.


	7. Chapter 7

After their late dinner at the Penny, Holly and Gail had gone back to Holly's and were currently laughing on Holly's couch.

"I thought you were going to punch her in the face!" giggled Gail, in between gasping for air.

"I almost did! Don't talk shit about parasites around me! I had a roommate in med school who went into immunology so I know far more than I ever wanted to about them. Delphine would make me help her study, so now I can call bullshit whenever I hear it!"

"So we shouldn't rush out and try this new diet to cleanse our body of parasites?"

Holly let out an exasperated sigh and let her head fall back on the couch, letting her laughter die down. At the Penny, Chris had been getting hit on by some weird badge bunny who probably didn't have an IQ over thirty. Chris wasn't at all interested, but in his usual adorably clueless self, had no idea how to get rid of her without being rude. At some point during the night, the brown haired pixie started going on and on about some cleanse she was going to start. Gail had burst into laughter as Holly nearly choked on her drink in outrage. Holly hadn't known where to start to discredit the girl's stupidity, but as she kept speaking, Gail and Traci had gotten a kick of hearing Holly mumble not completely under her breath. Gail had dragged Holly away when the girl said that the whole thing had been published by NIMH, at which point Holly looked about ready to lose it.

Gail leaned over on the couch and kissed Holly. Holly was still processing the unexpected kiss while she heard Gail say, "I've just never seen you get so worked up over something before. It was kind of adorable."

Shortly afterwards, it was by unspoken agreement that they decided to turn in. They had both changed into their sleep tshirts and shorts and were settling for the night. Holly was getting into bed when she felt Gail's gaze on her. She'd just removed her glasses and had already let her hair free of it's usual work ponytail.

"What? I just washed my face." Gail scooted closer and reached behind Holly's head, drawing her in for a kiss. As the kiss went on, Holly could tell that something was different. There was more confidence, Gail's hands weren't shaking or fumbling like they sometimes did when she got nervous. Gail had threaded her fingers through Holly's hair and gradually tugged Holly partially on top of her. As much Holly loved the feeling of Gail's lips and tongue against hers, she had to stop this from going too far while she still could.

"Gail, Gail. As much as I want this, are you sure? I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for or anything you might regret."

Holly tried to lean back but Gail held her in place. "I like you and I want this. I want us. And right now, I want you."

Holly couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as Gail grinned up at her before pulling her down into another kiss. Holly finally let herself go, kissing Gail with all the passion that had been building up inside her for what seemed like weeks. She moaned and tangled her fingers in the hair on the back of Gail's head as Gail moved her kisses along her jaw and and down her neck while her hands crept up her sides and under her breasts. Holly could feel Gail smile behind her ear as she whimpered when Gail's thumbs rubbed across her nipples. Tugging her head back towards her, she captured Gail's mouth in a kiss that had Gail moaning while she pushed her onto her back.

* * *

Gail woke up the next morning to find herself lying on top of Holly, the sheet bunched around them. She snuggled closer into Holly's shoulder and breathed in deeply the scent of soap and Holly.

Having the next few days off, Gail didn't have any desire to move. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this at ease with someone. Actually, if she really thought back, it used to be Steve. But somewhere when he became a teenager, it stopped because when she shared certain things it resulted in Steve taking care of them for her. At the time, she didn't mind but her mother sat her down and told her that as a Peck woman, she'd have to take care of things for herself. She was still close with Steve, but something kept her from going to him when her nightmares about Perick started.

If she kept thinking, Traci and Oliver were the only ones who had really seen glimpses of Gail without all her shields. Even when she was dating Chris and Nick, she felt like they were attracted to Gail and her prickly personality so it was harder for her to be completely open with them. Chris seemed to have ended things because at most Gail had made another friend and at the least, Dov had a crush that neither of them were going to act on.

Thankfully, Chris eventually realized that it hadn't been a big deal. Nick never seemed to realize how much it had hurt when he left her to join the Army. In fact, he didn't think much of the engagement at all since they were getting married in Vegas. It may not have meant as much to him, but it had to her and he could have brought that up before leaving. She should have remembered that before they started up again.

But with Holly, there were no judgements. The Peck name didn't carry as much weight because Holly had already gotten where she was on merit. Holly was patient, understanding, and didn't push. Which was how she got here, nestled comfortably on Holly's chest. She was just beginning to drift off again when she felt Holly stir.

"Hey you" murmured Holly as she stroked a hand through Gail's long locks. Gail turned her head and kissed Holly's collar bone.

"Hey."


	8. Chapter 8

"Do you have to go to go to work today?" asked Holly, her voice still laced with sleep.

"No. Remember? I told you yesterday I have the next three days off" murmured Gail.

"Hmm. I wonder what could have happened to make me forget that" teased Holly as Gail felt her face begin to warm. "I can feel you blushing you know" chuckled Holly. If anything, Gail's face got even warmer.

"It's your fault."

"Sure. We'll go with that. If it results with what happened last night, I'm certainly not complaining."

Holly hadn't known what to expect the morning after. She was pleased to note that Gail's entire body was relaxed. As she ran her fingers through Gail's hair, she looked down at their bodies. Gail's ivory skin looked striking against Holly's more tanned, something that Gail had marveled at considering how much time Holly spent in the lab. Holly was relieved that despite Gail's willingness the night before, she hadn't regretted in the morning and left. She knew that Gail had come a long way, but actually having sex with each other could have been too much all at once. Holly was always glad to be proven wrong though. Their peacefully lull was interrupted by the shrill ring of a cell phone.

Gail groaned and moved down to rest on Holly's stomach, away from the sound as Holly reached for the offending object.

"Hello?"

" _Um...is Gail there?_ " a voice asked on the other end of the phone. Holly jerked the phone back and squinted at the display. _Nick Collins_.

"Uh, yes. Just a second" Holly hit the mute button and poked the top of Gail's head. "It's Nick." Gail jerked her head up only to let it fall onto the mattress where Holly could hear her muttering while she reached for the phone.

" _Hey, Oliver's asking if you are coming in today. Where are you?_ "

"Gee, Nick. Good morning to you too! I traded shifts with Andy so now I'm on my three day weekend."

" _Oh, well it's afternoon actually. But I'll let him know_ " and with that Nick hung up.

No, I'll- ARRGH!" Holly watched as Gail chucked her phone across the floor.

"You know, even though I teased you about that industrial phone case, seeing the way you treat it makes it a good buy" commented Holly as she sat against the headboard and waited for Gail to calm down again.

"Nick gave it to me. He said it worked well for some of his Army buddies and he knows how I treat my phone." Gail huffed as she snuggled her face onto Holly's stomach, wrapping her arms around her middle.  "Oliver is looking for me" mumbled Gail as Holly's hand stroked up and down her back.

"Are you in trouble or is it over a case?"

"Neither. It means he needs-. It means Oliver's getting in a bad place and needs to talk to someone who understands. It's our Abuductees Anonymous group, and Nick is making it into a big deal. I just hope he didn't ask Frank or Noelle before deciding to call me." Holly felt an edge of unease creeping up on her. Was Gail ashamed? Because even though she was falling in love with her, hiding wasn't something Holly did.

"Why would that matter?"

"Because! If they get worried about Oliver, they might take him off duty and make him see that shrink again. If anything going back to work helps." And just like that, Holly's concerns were gone.

"Has this happened before? You guys just working it out together?"

"Yeah. A couple of weeks ago Izzy, his kid, had a birthday and they all played laser tag. Not the best experience. Anyway, we met at a diner and then went to an arcade and played games for a few hours. The racing games are the best ones." Gail could feel the laughter building and cut it off by blowing a raspberry onto Holly's stomach before leaping over to the other side of the bed and grabbing her long sleep shirt.

"GAIL!" Holly squealed in shocked surprise.

"C'mon Holly. We need waffles, and I saw some frozen ones in your freezer" called Gail as she left the room. It did not escape Holly's notice that Gail hadn't put on any bottoms. Or underwear for that matter. Snatching up her own shirt she quickly followed.

* * *

Nick was confused. A woman had answered Gail's phone. Normally, he would assume that someone had just picked it up for her, but it was after noon and there hadn't been any of the usual bar background noise. In fact, there hadn't been any. And both the woman who answered and Gail had sounded sleepy still.  

"You're staring pretty hard at that phone there, Nick. Expecting a call?" asked Traci as she made her way over to the coffee pot. Oliver came into the room and plopped tiredly into a near by chair.

"Collins, did you find out where Gail is?"

"Uh, yeah. She traded shifts with Andy so this is her long weekend. Hey Traci, do you know if Gail is seeing anyone?" Traci drew out making her coffee as long as she could. There was no way to answer this that ended well. If she said no, Nick would go and ask Chris or Andy. If she said yes, he'd want to know who. The most she could do was try to minimize the damage. 

"Yeah, she is. Why?"

Nick shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "When I called, someone else answered her phone."

Oliver had been checking his sandwich for pickles as he listened. "I think she's seeing that forensic doc. What's her name...Holly." Nick spun towards Oliver.

"A woman?"

"Hey, I haven't seen Peck smile or be that happy consistently since ever, so whatever makes her happy. I mean who am I to judge? I'm dating a witch." Traci couldn't help but choke on her coffee in laughter, and was trying to keep from spilling when Luke came in looking for her.

"But she isn't gay" stated Nick, though the confused look on his face said he was just trying to make sense of it all.

"I'll be there in a minute Luke" called Traci, before turning back towards Nick. Using her mom tone of voice, she tried to explain it as best she could. She knew Nick had fallen in love with Andy, but she loved Sam and he had let her go. It was noble, in a way but she knew he still had to be hurting. She wouldn't let that hurt be taken out on Gail's happiness though. "It's not about what she is or isn't. She's Gail. And you left her twice. Holly is there for her. She gets Gail and her moods, and jokes, and how hard it is for her to open up and trust. She's happy to just be there, but then I guess it became more and they're happy."

"Yeah?" Traci nodded.

Nick took that in for a long moment before nodding himself. He knew that although he hadn't meant to, he had hurt Gail more than once. All he wanted was for her to be happy really, and if Holly could do that, then he wished them the best. If looked back at their relationship, there were times that they were really close friends that were also fuck buddies. He knew there were times he hadn't handled things well.

Like after her kidnapping, he had seemed to rub her the wrong way. He had said the wrong things or tried to touch her when he apparently shouldn't have. Part of that was the soldier in him, you just worked through it and kept going. Of course, he had never been through what she had. She had wanted to go home from the hospital on his motorcycle, and they had argued. She wound up getting a ride from Chris. It wasn't until months later on a case, that Sam had made a comment about the bike not having to confining walls to remind her of the stupid car trunk. Nick had felt awful. Then breaking up with her the same day she faced her kidnapper couldn't have been easy on her either.

Nick sighed. It looked like Gail was with someone who could give her what she needed now though. He vaguely remembered seeing Gail hug someone at the hospital and if he really thought back, he remembered them holding hands. Gail had fallen asleep on Holly in those chairs. Nick felt a smirk creep onto his face. He knew how few people Gail trusted to be that open with. Yeah, he wished them all the best. Suddenly, and sandwich wrapper pelted the side of his head.

"You going to staring at nothing, or can we go back out now?" called Oliver as he made his way towards the door. Nick got up and followed.

 


	9. Chapter 9

There was an odd thumping coming from Holly's kitchen. Her first thought had been "zombie" due to her discussion with Gail after finishing season three of The Walking Dead (where they decided they would totally survive with their combined skill sets) and that had her trying to stifle her laughter as she made her way towards the kitchen. There she found Gail banging her head against the table.

"Is there a particular reason for the repeated head trauma or do you just want a really colorful MRI?" asked Holly as she sat down across from her. Gail stopped banging her head but didn't lift it up. Instead, she shoved her hand that was still holding her phone towards Holly. The display read: recent calls-

_Superintendent Mom-Lady_.

"So, your mom called..."

"She knows. Apparently, Luke said something stupid and it got back to my mom. In fact her words were 'what's this I hear about you dating a woman? I've been going out of my way to set you up with two dates a week and you go out with a woman?'" Gail leaned back in her chair and ran her hands over her face. Holly grabbed her hand and led them over to the sofa where they could be more comfortable for what she suspected was going to be a long talk. Holly knew how hard it was for Gail to talk about things, but she was trying and sometimes it was the only way for Gail to realize what she was feeling. Holly was there to act as a sounding board or at times to help try to figure out what word Gail was trying to find, but she was glad to help.

"She asked me how are people supposed to take me seriously if I'm dating a woman. That this job is hard enough for a woman. And I get that, I do. But I told her: What makes you think anyone takes me seriously to begin with? The whole first three years of my career, I've been trying to convince people I can do this job. That it's not just because of the Peck name that I'm here. Now thankfully, 15 gets that, but to the rest of cops I'm still just a Peck!" Holly was resting her head on Gail's shoulder with her arm looped around Gail's and drawing soothing patterns on her knee. "So she says I'm just proving her point! So I told her that I love you, and that my love life is just that! _Mine_ , and not some piece that she can use for political gain for either her or me." While Holly stiffened, Gail crossed her arms and sank farther into the couch, pouting. "Then she hung up before I could". Holly sat stunned, vaguely aware that Gail was mumbling something about most mothers caring about the happiness of their children.

"Did you mean it?" asked Holly, tentatively when there was a lull in Gail's rant.

"Of course! I mean I almost lost my badge. I was able to keep it, but some people still think that was only because I'm a Peck. Hell! The investigator even told me to tell my father hello before she started the interview!" Holly untangled herself from Gail's side to look at her.

"No. I mean when you said you love me." Holly watched as a look of confusion flickered over Gail's face only to be replaced by one of subdued shock.

"Huh" muttered Gail.

"What?"

"Well, I figured I'd be telling _you_ that I love you first. Not, you know, my mom." Holly couldn't help but bury her face into Gail's shoulder to try to smother her laughter. "I did mean it though. I do love you." Holly eased back again.

"You don't have to rush into saying it. Not if you don't mean it or don't know if you do." Gail sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop thinking for minute and listen to me? This is different than past relationships for me. With you, I have...comfortable silences. You let me figure things out and even help me figure them out. It's easier to talk to you than it is with almost anybody else. And because we talk I don't have to guess what you're feeling. Or what I'm feeling...which is nice. Anytime that I don't need a magic eight ball for my feelings is always good. But I can also just be. I don't have to change anything. And that is something I hadn't considered." Gail took in the shocked raised eyebrows on Holly's face. "And now I'm now done rambling" she finished as she pulled her knees up and hid her face behind them. Holly leaned over and kissed the bit of Gail's forehead she could still reach.

"Just so we're clear, I love you too". Gail opened one eye and peeked up at Holly.

Yeah?" Holly nodded. "I get those feelings too you know, less now than before. I just didn't use a magic eight ball."

"Right. It would have to be something much more nerdy. I'm guessing role-playing dice?" Being met with silence, Gail sat up on her knees and faced Holly as a broad smile broke out on her face. "I was joking! But this is even better!"

"No! I just can't think of anything less nerdy to fit that analogy!" Holly gave Gail a shove but she was too busy shaking with laughter to notice.

As they watched the Hannibal tv series, Holly couldn't help thinking she could get used to this. She watched Gail snack on popcorn during one of Eddie Izzard's more gruesome kills, happily making commentary. "Well, it's not like that doctor didn't have it coming. Asshole." Holly rolled her eyes and snuggled into Gail's side again.


	10. Chapter 10

Gail was so happy the day was almost over. Things had been going well, but right now, she just wanted to be done with her paper work and be at The Penny with Holly and her friends.

It had started on Tuesday when Dov had found out that Chloe had woken up. The two had talked briefly, and Chloe was going to take a week and work some things out with Wes before she talked to Dov. Frankly, Gail thought Dov deserved more than that considering Chloe had hidden the fact she had a husband from him, but Chloe was restricted to just typing at the moment. Gail couldn't help but smile to herself as she thought back to the night when Dov had told them at the bar.

Holly had kicked her under the table, knowing that Gail had a snarky remark at the ready. When they got to the car later, Holly told her that she could say it. Gail had merely shrugged her shoulders as she pulled on her seatbelt.

"I was just going to say that I wouldn't need 140 characters to dump her ass". Holly had bitten her lips trying to hid her smile while she pointed out that maybe that wasn't exactly what Dov needed to hear right now. Apparently, Dov had been so thrilled by the news that he forgot that Holly was new the the group. Gail had simply assumed that everything was going well. Technically it was. It just turned out no one had mentioned to Dov that Gail and Holly were dating. At this point everyone knew, mostly due to Luke making some comment that Steve had overheard that had resulted in Oliver, Chris, Sam, and Frank having to separate the two. No matter how many times Gail asked, Traci refused to tell her what the comment had been, which was even more frustrating because she was pretty sure it was the same one that had gotten back to her mother. So, naturally, she had assumed Dov knew about the two of them, but that hadn't been the case.

No, he found out when he came out of The Penny with Chris, more than a little drunk, to see Gail kissing Holly goodnight. Traci had been talking to Oliver and Noelle in the parking lot watched as Dov yelled, "Dude! You and Holly are a couple?" causing both women to nearly have heart attacks on the spot.

Dov sobered up fast when he saw Gail glare at him and took off down the street with Gail a few paces behind him. Chris sighed and got in his car to pick the two of them up when Gail caught Dov. Hopefully, he'd get there before she killed him and if not he'd be there to throw the left over pieces of Dov in his truck and take the three of them home.

All of this unfolded in front of Holly in a matter of seconds. Traci made her way over to where Holly was left standing while Noelle and Oliver did nothing to contain their laughter.

"What just happened?" asked Holly as she slowly turned towards Traci.

"Dov is very drunk and didn't know you two were dating" explained Traci as she rested hand on Holly's shoulder.

"No. That part I got. I guess what I'm wondering is, will 15 help cover this up or will I be preforming what I can only guess will be a very interesting autopsy while you and Steve arrest Gail tomorrow morning? I mean was Chris acting as an officer in pursuit just now or a getaway driver accomplice?"

Traci just shook her head. Holly was nothing if not perfect for Gail. Initially, she had come over to reassure Holly that Gail wasn't ashamed, she just had to kill Dov for scaring her. Apparently, Holly already knew that though which in Traci's opinion, made them an even better match since the only way that could happen was if Gail had told her. Traci had seen the real Gail come out to play a few times before. There was the time Chris had gotten his transfer that Traci had seen Gail yell _Surprise_ at Chris, the look on her face resembling a five year old's joy as she took off. Then when Frank proposed to Noelle, Gail had enveloped the two in an enormous hug, genuinely happy for the couple. That side of Gail still wasn't seen by many from 15, but on a few of their double dates or when Traci took a second to look at the two of them together, Holly brought that side out in Gail. Gail Peck, who doesn't dance but was willing to let Holly show her how on the dance floor. Gail Peck, who doesn't sing unless she's had a few shots of tequila but is singing Florence and the Machine with Traci at karaoke while Steve and Holly look on. Gail Peck who was kissing Holly in front of The Penny, and didn't care who saw.

Yup, Holly was a good fit for Gail.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the end of the week and everyone was at The Penny as usual. Surprisingly, it had been a low incident week so everyone was in high spirits instead of the exhaustion they were more accustomed to. Frank, Noelle, and Oliver were just chatting about that when Noelle noticed Frank's gaze drifting over towards Gail and Holly again.

"Care to share?" asked Noelle, as she poked her husband in his side.

"Just nice to see her happy. Elaine has been giving me an earful about it."

"Yeah? How'd that go over?" asked Oliver as he helped himself to another handful of pretzels.

"I told her that our division's numbers are looking good and that is due to the work of not just our officers but our forensic scientists as well. I also informed her that I do not show preferential treatment to any of my officers and I don't get involved in their personal lives unless it impacts their work. Then there's the fact that Elaine's husband had called first and said to ignore anything that his wife said because ' _my daughter is happy dammit and I'm not about to let Elaine fuck that up_ '". Noelle and Oliver chuckled along with Frank and then moved on to another topic.

At the table with Gail sat Holly, Celery and Traci. Chris and Dov were playing darts against Andy and Sam. Nick made his way over and sat in a vacant chair next to Traci.

"What's going on with you guys?" asked Nick as he took a drink from his beer.

"Apparently, nothing says date night like horror movies or series to these two" said Celery as she pointed at Gail and Holly.

"What? How? You giggle through all the gruesome parts. Hannibal Rising was so much more horrifying because I watched it with you" commented Nick with a traumatized look on his face.

"Oh like the guys he killed didn't have it coming. But what did we just watch? Um, some channel was showing it...Sorority Row! If some crazed killer is after us and you're screaming, I'm kicking you out. Let the killer have you" said Gail. Traci was recounting watching a horror movie with Gail when Holly got up to get refills for Gail and herself.

Holly was watching the group laugh from a bar stool when the bartender set two beers in front of her.

"Well, there goes me asking to buy you a drink". Holly blinked as she recognized that voice. She turned to see Chelsea, an ex-girlfriend of hers standing next to her. Chelsea had been fun but early on, it became clear that she didn't understand that Holly loved her job. Before they were even anything Holly would have considered "serious" Chelsea started to try and pressure her to quit. When Chelsea had made her choose, it had been no contest to Holly, although apparently it had been to Chelsea.

"Hi. Chelsea. It's been a while."

"Yeah, and I was thinking maybe we should fix that."

 

Back at the table, Celery noticed that Holly had been gone a few minutes and looked towards the bar.

"Hey Gail? I think your girlfriend might need some help over at the bar."

"What?" Traci and Nick craned their necks to try and see too, but the bar was packed on most Friday nights and this was no exception.

"Some woman is talking to her and if Holly backs up any farther on her stool to get away from her, she's going to fall". At that, Gail was up and half was to the bar. Nick turned towards Traci.

"Sooo...Do we help? I mean should we expect blood?"

"Seeing as how it's another woman, I'm going to say no. Holly has been a great influence on Gail. If it were a guy and he didn't get the hint and touched Holly, then I think we might. Never can tell with drunk macho cops."

Holly had edged back as far as she could and had already stated that she was seeing someone. She would have walked away by now, but there were too many people crowded around the bar. Holly mentally sighed as she regretted teasing Gail about her temper when they started dating. Gail had said that it wasn't that she went looking for a fight or argument, just that some people were outrageously stupid. Holly was beginning to see her point. Her next step was to pour her drink on Chelsea. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. We were wondering where you got off to" said Gail, as Holly relaxed into her side.

"Chelsea, this is my girlfriend Gail. It's been nice seeing you again but we really have to go". Chelsea took a long look at the two and didn't bother hiding her displeasure.

"Well, if something happens, give me a call." Gail hadn't even opened her mouth to retort before Holly threw back, "Don't hold your breath". Gail squeezed Holly's hand as they made their way back to the table with their drinks. Holly was pretty sure they were okay, but felt the need to tell Gail that she had told Chelsea that she was dating someone and rebuffed her advances. "Okay, so I can tell you're not mad, but your smirk is throwing me off. What's up?" Gail shook her head.

"Nothing, I mean I believe you. It just proves that the sole reason for NERF melee weapons it to beat people senseless. I mean she was a prime example". Holly laughed and they sat back down at their table where a discussion about American Horror Story: Coven had started and the group was curious to see if Celery was going to watch. Celery hadn't decided yet. While she had loved the first two seasons, there was something even more unnerving about adding Kathy Bates to the mix. Holly noticed as the night went on Gail hadn't let go of her hand, and it was a feeling she was already gotten used to.


	12. Chapter 12

It was far to early in the morning for any of this. Which was precisely why Gail was at her usual morning gas station stop. This particular gas station had pretty good coffee, but what drew Gail were the donuts brought each morning from a local Mom and Pop bakery. They are what usually made the mornings that she had to be in before Holly bearable. So after picking up her usual number of donuts (two) she went to get herself a large coffee. She was adding her sugar to it when she noticed another person fixing their coffee. Standing too close. I mean Jesus, back up! Personal space! Gail scooted over a step and continued to fix her coffee, after taking a sip having noticed it was a bit strong today. Nothing a little cream wouldn't fix. And her donuts. And then it happened.

"So you and Holly. Good for you, she's great. Must be hard with her long hours though". It was Chelsea. From-the-bar-Chelsea. Holly's ex Chelsea. Great. Deep breath, Gail.

"Her hours aren't any worse than a cop's hours" commented Gail. She flinched inwardly for having given in. It wasn't like she couldn't tell she was being baited.

"Oh, so your last girlfriend was a cop?" asked Chelsea. Gail couldn't help the slightly predatory smirk that emerged as she turned to face the other woman, she really couldn't.

"No, I am. I'm an officer with the 15th division". Based on the stunned expression Chelsea hadn't been able to completely hide, she hadn't expected that. Gail was about to leave when Chelsea had to go and say something else.

"Well then, maybe she's not quite the Holly I remember. I mean going from a reporter to a cop is kind of a drop in standards."

"You write for the paper?"

"Toronto's Science Inquiry." Gail wasn't a Nerd like Holly, but even she knew that only the best scientists around got published in that magazine.

Chelsea sighed, "I guess that explains why she hasn't been returning my calls-". Actually, Gail remembered Holly asking Steve how to block numbers on her phone, and the memory brought the hint of a smirk to her face. "- I had just assumed she was freezing me out. So, I figured the best way to get to the bottom of it was to put a freeze on her articles". That got Gail's attention. "That way, she'd have to talk to me if she wants her stuff published again anytime soon. Maybe over dinner." It wasn't the fact that his crazed person was hinting at stealing Holly from her that made her angry, that she really didn't care about. It was the fact that she'd seen Holly come home after long days only to sit at her laptop for hours working on an article she was writing.

"If blackmail is the only way you're capable of getting a date, good luck with that." And with that, Gail dumped her large cup of coffee down Chelsea's shirt and jeans. Gail completely ignored Chelsea's horrified squeal (after all she had been talking for a while so the coffee was only luke warm at best) and proceeded to pay for her donuts.

After getting into her car she pulled out her phone.

"Hey Hol? Yeah I know it's your morning to sleep in, but let me explain. First of all, she interrupted my morning donuts. And second, I was provoked and the coffee wasn't even hot anymore."


End file.
